Center Celebrates Hanukah With Lighting, Dinner

The Farmington Valley Jewish Community Center celebrated the seventh night of Hanukah, the festival of lights, with a Friday evening service and dinner.

Congregants, led by Rabbi Bekah Goldman, brought family menorahs for the seventh night of Hanukah, which lasts eight days. Besides the traditional potato latkes, pizza, and other fun foods were served. Children played with dreidels and other holiday games.

Hanukah, which means "dedication" in Hebrew, originates back to the 2nd Century BCE, during the re-dedication of the main temple. The faithful only had enough oil for one night. Somehow, the lamp remained lit for eight nights.

Maryanne Feifer, who co-chairs the center's Ritual Committee, said Hanukah is considered a "historical" holiday, a time for families to gather, share meals, play games, and exchange small gifts over the eight nights.

She said the seventh night fell on the weekly sabbath - or day of rest - a good time to hold the celebration.

Last year, Hanukah began at Thanksgiving time, or what some of the faithful called Thanksgivingnukah, according to Feifer.

Normally, a family would light their menorah at home.

"It was kind of fun to see all the flames," Feifer said.

On the first night, Feifer served blintzes and latkes and gave her children gifts.

"It's nice holiday to be together, partly because it's celebrating a historic holiday," she said.

Goldman, who became FVJCC's rabbi six months ago, said the early-evening celebration allowed more families to participate.

"Also, it's one of the last nights of Hanukah, which is a very family oriented holiday," she said. "We want to make sure families had an opportunity to celebrate together with the community."

She thanked the center's staff for adding fun elements to the celebration, including handing out special filtered glasses, similar to 3D glasses found at movie theaters, that turned the flickering candle light into Star of Davids.

Kids played with oversized, inflated dreidels.

"It's important to make it fun and meaningful as possible," she said. Goldman, a Louisiana native, graduated from the Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, in May.

FVJCC is her first stint as a full time rabbi.

"It's amazing to see not only the inter-generational side of things, but also families remembered to bring their menorahs, that they remembered to come. So many families are here," she said.

On average, the center attracts 50 worshipers on a Friday night, which was easily exceeded during the celebration.

"Part of the things we do is that we pass things on generation to generation," she said.